In a typically forthright and pro-theatrical address that kicked off the first major US studio presentation at 2026 CinemaCon, Sony Pictures film boss Tom Rothman urged cinema owners to push for longer exclusive theatrical windows, fewer ads, and more affordable tickets.
Promising “my least profane opening speech ever”, motion picture group chairman and CEO Rothman tweaked the updated Olympic Games mantra “Faster, higher, stronger – together” and warned attendees at Dolby Colosseum in Caesars Palace that while things were looking better than they did a few years ago, the post-Covid admissions decline nonetheless demanded action.
“I urge you all now to make some hard choices for the long-term,” Rothman said on Monday night. “Now is your own Olympic moment: longer, shorter, cheaper. Enforce longer windows… Get rid of the endless advertising and substantially shorten the pre-shows. Get off the ad crack. And cheaper: going to the movies must be more affordable again. Together the theatrical business will not just [survive], it will thrive.”
With that, Rothman chatted to a pre-recorded virtual image of Tom Holland, who teed up an early scene from Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the studio’s big tentpole bet of 2026 that opens on July 31 and follows 2021 predecessor Spider-Man: No Way Home, which earned $1.9bn at the global box office to rank as the studio’s biggest ever release.
Destin Daniel Cretton directs the new film, which also stars Zendaya, riding high on the $60m-plus global box office of A24’s The Drama. Unsurprisingly, Rothman described Brand New Day as Holland’s best work.
No Beatles update
In a presentation that did not deliver any update on The Beatles four-parter after last year’s big cast reveal, Rothman and his travelling executives showcased trailers and footage from several big titles for the year ahead and were sparing with the celebrities.
Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black took to the stage to talk up the December 25 release of Jumanji: Open World in which they reunite with Karen Gillan. The third entry in the $2.2bn franchise opens on December 25.
Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse directors Bob Persichetti and Justin K. Thompson joined writers and franchise godfathers Phil Lord and Chris Miller to show footage from the June 18, 2027 release. Lord and Miller’s Project Hail Mary from Amazon MGM Studios is one of early 2026’s box office success stories and has grossed more than $510m worldwide. Sony handles international distribution.
Sanford Panitch, president of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, revealed one of the few pieces of news and announced that an R-rated animated adaptation of the video game Bloodborne is in the works with PlayStation Productions, Lyrical Animation and creator and gamer Seán McLoughlin aka JackSepticEye. Sony Pictures is co-financing with Lyrical Animation parent Lyrical Media.
The Social Network writer Aaron Sorkin introduced the trailer from October 9 release The Social Reckoning, which he wrote and directed and stars Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, and Jeremy Strong as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. “There isn’t a life that Facebook’s algorithm hasn’t touched and its influence has shaped everything,” Sorkin said. “So it was time to say more.” Madison stars as Facebook engineer and whistleblower Frances Haugen.
Resident Evil, new Insidious trailers
Weapons director Zach Cregger teed up the trailer to the September 18 release of Constantin Film’s video game adaptation Resident Evil and there were trailers from Screen Gems and Stage 6 Films’ Insidious: Out Of The Further (August 21); TriStar Pictures’ May 29 family comedy The Breadwinner; and Taika Waititi’s robot drama Klara And The Sun starring Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams, which it was announced will open on October 23.
Dakota and Elle Fanning sent a pre-recorded message from the set of Michael Morris’s Second World War drama The Nightingale, which marks the first time the sisters are appearing together in a feature. Justin Lin walked onstage to talk up his sci-fi video game adaptation Helldivers (November 10, 2027) starring Jason Momoa and said he was preparing to go to New Zealand in several weeks to begin work.
The session began with CinemaCon presenting only its second Legend Of Cinema Award to retiring Cineplex CEO and president Ellis Jacobs after Martin Scorsese collected the inaugural honour in 2023.
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